For those who burn to learn

Alfredo Pasta with Broccolini Recipe

This dish can be created and cooked within a 30 minute time frame. (Rachel Ray would approve of these meals, I’m sure.) The star ingredient is the Parmigiano-Reggiano and you can get this lovely cheese at the grocery store or a specialty cheese department. If you use the best aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, your meal will be that much better. The same goes for all of the ingredients. As you can see, there are not a lot of ingredients for any given dish, so if you can splurge on fresh local organic greens, cream from grass fed cows and happy free range chickens, please do so!

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and taste to make sure water tastes like sea water. Add 10 oz. of dried taccozette or fettuccine or your favorite pasta and cook until not quite done—just al dente. (Usually, this takes about 10 minutes.)

While the pasta cooks, in a large pan, heat the butter until the butter melts. Then add the heavy cream and reduce until sauce thickens for about 3 minutes. Turn the heat off and stir in grated parmesan cheese, salt, cayenne, and nutmeg.

Drain the pasta. Pour the pasta into the cream/butter mixture. Mix together gently over low heat till the pasta is coated. Sprinkle with a smidgen more of grated parmigiano-reggiano. Serve with quick sauteed broccolini.

1 bunch broccolini, broccoli flowers cut into two inch pieces, stalks cut at an angle into one inch pieces

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup salted pasta water

Instructions

Melt the butter and olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the broccolini and sautee on high heat until broccolini turns bright green, about 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup of salted pasta water, and cook till water almost evaporates and broccolini is crisp tender. Serve with Cheesy Rags.